HIST 335: Korean History, 1945—present

Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-10:45 am Instructor: Dr. Charles Kim, History Department Office Hours: Thursdays 3:00-5:00 pm and by appointment Office: 4122 Humanities Email: [email protected] Office: (608) 263-1831 Mobile: (608) 563-9016

Course Description: Ever since the establishment of two Korean nation-states after the end of World War II, the history of the two has been shot through with transformations, dynamism, conflicts, and the unexpected. In this course, students use feature and documentary films about the as windows on the fascinating society and politics of South and from 1945 to recent times. Key topics include national division and the Korean War, popular memory, family history, and the cultural representation of inter-Korea relations.

2010 North Korean Stamp commemorating the participation of the Chinese People Volunteer’s Army in the Korean War.

2010 South Korean stamp commemorating Taegŭkki hwinallimyŏ (Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War), a 2004 nationalist film about the war. Course Objectives:

1) Gain a nuanced understanding of the profound impact that the division of the Korean peninsula and the Korean War have had on the two Korean nation-states and on ordinary people. 2) By considering multiple points of view, gain critical distance on media representations of and political opinions on the two Koreas. 3) Enhance your ability to engage with academic writings. 4) Enhance your ability to examine and analyze films as well as other visual media.

Assigned Readings:

• Course readings, films, and other sources will be made available on Canvas.

Course Requirements:

1) Participation: 20% 2) Homework Assignments: 20% (= 8 x 2.5%). 3) Family essay (5-6 double-spaced pages): 15% 4) Film essay (4-5 double-spaced pages): 15% 5) Group presentation: 5% 6) Final group project (webpage that explores a film on: the Korean War; North Korea; South Korea; or North-South relations.): 25%

Grading Scheme:

92-100% A 87-91.9% AB 82-86.9% B 77-81.9% BC 70-76.9% C 60-69.9% D

Note regarding credit hours and student workload: This 3-credit course has 3 hours of group meetings per week (each 50-minute segment of lecture counts as one hour according to UW- Madison's credit hour policy). The course also carries the expectation that you will spend an average of at least 2 hours outside of class for every hour in the classroom. In other words, in addition to class time, plan to allot an average of at least 6 hours per week for reading, writing, preparing for discussions, and/or studying for quizzes and exams for this class.

Course Guidelines:

1) You’re responsible for referring to this syllabus regularly and for knowing what to do each week for this course (reading/viewing assignments, written assignments, etc.).

2 2) Perfect attendance is expected. More than two unexcused absences over the course of the semester will affect your course grade. Three unexcused late arrivals/early departures will count as one unexcused absence.

3) Participation is an important part of this course, so attend every meeting, come prepared, and participate regularly.

4) Assignments are due on Canvas by 7 pm. Note: There are 10 assignments over the course of the semester. Your lowest 2 assignment scores will be dropped in the calculating of your grade for this category. To put it differently, your highest 8 assignment scores will go toward your final grade in the class.

5) Bring your assignments and assigned reading (and your notes for the assigned film) to class.

6) Laptops and tablets may be used only to refer to course readings and notes, and to take notes. If you appear to be off task, then I or the course proctor will check in to see what you are doing.

7) Late submissions will receive a deduction of half a letter grade for each late day.

8) I generally respond to emails within two days, but there are cases when I do need more time. Give yourself ample time for a response, especially if you are emailing me on an important, time-sensitive subject (for example, an essay that will be due soon).

9) Good email etiquette is much appreciated. And it differs from messaging etiquette. For helpful tips, see: https://studybreaks.com/college/8-tenets-basic-email-etiquette/

10) I will regularly send course announcements (including friendly reminders, useful links and an occasional change to the syllabus) by email. You are responsible for checking your email account daily, and for reading all course-related emails.

11) Plagiarism – the use of another person’s words or ideas without citation – will not be tolerated in any assignment for this course. For more on how to avoid plagiarism, see the statement on “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism” on the Council of Writing Program Administrators website: wpacouncil.org/positions/WPAplagiarism.pdf.

Recommended Resource:

The History Lab is a resource center where experts (PhD students) will assist you with your history papers. No matter your stage in the writing process—choosing a topic, conducting research, composing a thesis, outlining your argument, revising your drafts— the History Lab staff is here, along with your professors and teaching assistants, to help you sharpen your skills and become a more successful writer. Sign up for a one-on-one consultation online: http://go.wisc.edu/hlab.

3 Academic Accommodations for Students:

Please let me know at the start of the semester if you have a need for an accommodation in his course. If you have any questions about this or require any assistance, please contact me or the McBurney Disability Resource Center.

COURSE SCHEDULE

PRELIMINARIES

DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENTS T 1/22 Course Introduction

R 1/24 Getting Started: ^ Assignment 1 due in class The Chosŏn Era ^ Michael J. SETH. A Concise History of Modern Korea. Lanham, (1392-1910); the MD: 2010: 1-8. Colonial Era ^ “A Family Divided by the Korean War” (Interview with Sylvia (1910-45); and NAM, 2018). The Daily (New York Times podcast): North and South https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/podcasts/the-daily/korean- Korea Today war-kim-jong-un-summit.html

T 1/29 National Division ^ Michael E. Robinson. Korea’s Twentieth-Century Odyssey. & the Korean Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press. 2007: 100-120. War: Complex & ^ Korean War documentary (TBD) Tragic

UNIT 1: FAMILY-CENTERED MEMORIES OF THE KOREAN WAR

DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENTS W 1/30 ^ Assignment 2 due on Canvas by 7 pm R 1/31 The War from a ^ YOON Heung-gil. “The Rainy Spell.” In The Rainy Spell and Other Family’s Korean Stories. Armonk, NY: 1998: 153-203. [Original story Perspective (1) published in 1978.] ^ Vincent BRANDT. A Korean Village. Cambridge, MA: Harvard, 1971: 108-114, 121-128. M 2/4 ^ Assignment 3 due on Canvas by 7 pm T 2/5 The War from a ^ FILM: Rainy Days (dir. YU Hyun-mok, 1979). Watch 22:00-56:00: Family’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaG1U7IADQo Perspective (2) ^ PAK Kyung Sook. “The Mountain People.” 1950-51 (?). Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

4 ^ Clips from Grandmother’s Flower (2007 documentary) ^ Karen GOCSIK et al. Writing about Movies. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 2016: 19-25 R 2/7 Family and ^ Astrid ERLL. “Locating Family in Cultural Memory Studies. Generational Journal of Comparative Family Studies (2011): 303-308 Memories ^ History and Memory (For Akiko and Takashige) (dir., Rea TAJIRI, 32 min., 1991)

^ Olga KHAZAN. “Inherited Trauma Shapes Your Health.” The Atlantic (2018): https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/10/trauma- inherited-generations/573055/ ^ Brooke KING. “A Veteran Wonders: How Will PTSD Affect My Kids?” The Atlantic (2017): https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/11/a-vet- wonders-how-will-my-ptsd-affect-my-kids/547034/ ^ Esther LANDHUIS. “How Dad’s Stresses Get Passed Along to Offspring.” Scientific American (2018): https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-dads-stresses- get-passed-along-to-offspring/ M 2/11 ^ Assignment 4 due on Canvas by 7 pm T 2/12 Suppressing ^ KIM Min-suk. “Scarlet Fingernails.” In Wayfarer: New Fiction by Memories, Korean Women. Seattle: Women in Translation, 1997: 79-114. Overcoming [Original story published in 1987.] Suppression ^ Review Vincent BRANDT excerpts from 1/31 ^ Clips from Repatriation (2003 documentary) and from Grandmother’s Flower (2007 documentary) R 2/14 Unit Wrap-up; Essay Prep

UNIT 2: NATIONALIST MEMORIES OF THE WAR

DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENTS M 2/18 ^ Assignment 5 due by 7 pm on Canvas

5 T 2/19 Official Memories ^ All students read: Tessa MORRIS-SUZUKI. “Remembering the of the Korean Unfinished Conflict: Museums and the Contested Memory of the War: The South Korean War.” Asia-Pacific Journal 29 (2009): 1-8. (1) ^ You will then read:

• EITHER: Sheila Miyoshi JAGER and Jiyul KIM. “The Korean War after the : Commemorating the Armistice Agreement in South Korea.” In Ruptured Histories: War, Memory, and the Post-Cold War in Asia. Cambridge, MA: Harvard, 2007: 233-265.

• OR: Daniel Y. KIM. “Nationalist Technologies of Cultural Memory and the Korean War: Militarism and Neo- Liberalism in The Price of Freedom and the War Memorial of Korea.” Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review (2015): 1-33.

R 2/21 No Class: Work on Family Essay F 2/22 ^ Family essay due on Canvas by 7 pm

M 2/25 ^ Assignment 6 due on Canvas by 7 pm T 2/26 Official Memories ^ FILM: Ode To My Father (dir. Je-kyoon YOUN, 2014) of the Korean ^ Karen GOCSIK et al. Writing about Movies. 4th ed. New York: War: The South Norton, 2016: 35-44. (2) ^ “The Miracle of the Han River – Park Chung Hee”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA92mb3d3x0 ^ Additional clips TBD.

R 2/28 Official Memories ^ Tessa MORRIS-SUZUKI. “Remembering the Unfinished Conflict: of the Korean Museums and the Contested Memory of the Korean War.” Asia- War: The North Pacific Journal 29 (2009): 8-16. (1) ^ “Victorious Fatherland Liberation Museum.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whup0Qy4iz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXP5drD8Hvw ^ “‘U.S. Imperialists’ aboard the USS Pueblo in Pyongyang, North Korea”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIpy1eUhHdo ^ “Museum of US War Atrocities in Sinchon, North Korea.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGgkAmL4Ayc&t=190s

M 3/4 ^ Assignment 7 due at 7 pm on Canvas T 3/5 Official Memories ^ FILM: A Broad Bellflower (dir. JOO Kyun Soon, 1987, 83 min.): of the Korean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wb3VaCElcY&list=PLClM6n War: The North e1DmjWkZFgLi0vcMzohqq4FiCqw&index=4 (2)

6 ^ Karen GOCSIK et al. Writing about Movies. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 2016: 50-54. ^ Clips from The Game of Their Lives (2002 documentary) R 3/7 In-class group ^ Daniel MARTIN. “South Korean Cinema's Postwar Pain: Gender meetings to and National Division in Korean War Films from the 1950s to the discuss final 2000s.” Journal of Korean Studies (2014): 93-114. project ^ Come to class with at least 3 films in mind that you would like to focus on for your final project.

T 3/12 In-class group ^ LEE Woo-Young and KIM Myoung-Shin. “Inter-Korean meetings to Integration Mirrored in Division Films: Changing Collective discuss final Emotion in South Korea Toward Inter-Korean Integration.” North project Korean Review (2017): 24-47. ^ REVIEW: Daniel MARTIN from 3/7, esp. pp. 101-109. ^ Explore Reel American History; closely read through at least 1 student project on the website: http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/trial/reels/about/

UNIT 3 – “UNFORGETTING”

R 3/14 “Unforgetting” (1) ^ Heonik KWON. “Korean War Traumas.” Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus (2010): https://apjjf.org/-Heonik- Kwon/3413/article.html ^ Clips from Grandmother’s Flower (2007 documentary)

^ Suhi CHOI. “Mythologizing Memories: A Critique of the Utah Korean War Memorial.” Public Historian (2012): 76-82. ^ . “Remarks by the President at 60th Anniversary Of the Korean War Armistice.” The White House, Office of the Press Secretary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4qZ3I8u4tc • Text of speech: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the- press-office/2013/07/27/remarks-president-60th- anniversary-korean-war-armistice ^ Cynthia ANDERSON. “My Father, His PTSD, and Me.” Cognoscenti: http://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2016/05/30/korean-war- veteran-ptsd-cynthia-anderson

T 3/19 SPRING BREAK R 3/21 M 3/25 Assignment 8 due at 7 pm on Canvas T 3/26 “Unforgetting” (2) ^ Chilsu and Mansu (dir. PARK Kwang-su, 1988, 109 min.)

^ Grace M. CHO. “Eating Military Base Stew.” Contexts (2014): https://contexts.org/articles/eating-military-base-stew/

7 ^ Future Neighbor. “How To Make Army Stew (Budae Jjigae): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3koyJwPlP0s

R 3/28 Essay Prep ^ Reading TBD

T 4/2 No Class – Work on Film Essay W 4/3 ^ Film Essay Due

UNIT 4 – TOWARD A MORE STABLE PEACE?

DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENTS R 4/4 Final Project Prep: ^ Bring laptop or tablet to class. Finding Supporting Sources M 4/8 ^ Assignment 9 due on Canvas by 7 pm T 4/9 Relations with ^ Bruce CUMINGS. “A Murderous History of Korea.” London Review North Korea: An of Books (2017): https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n10/bruce-cumings/a- Overview murderous-history-of-korea

^ E. Tammy PARK. “Covering the Koreas.” Columbia Journalism Review (2018): https://www.cjr.org/special_report/covering-north- south-korea.php

^ Additional readings TBD.

R 4/11 Contemporary ^ Readings TBD. North Korea ^ “Everyday DPRK”: https://www.instagram.com/everydaydprk/?hl=en

^ “North Korean street food.” DPRK360. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17Dw9v- pFNM&index=103&list=PLjxLn7xqDDQuGatp7AjI9aaS7rbGjeINF “Pyongyang mukbang series 7: Bulgogi burger… in a Pyongyang café-style fast food place.” DPRK360: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXL7pXTYFpc&index=47&list= PLjxLn7xqDDQuGatp7AjI9aaS7rbGjeINF ^ “North Korean BBQ by the Sea.” DPRK360: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_CdrJ2lx3Y&list=PLjxLn7xqD DQuGatp7AjI9aaS7rbGjeINF&index=9&t=0s M 4/15 ^ Assignment 10 due on Canvas by 7 pm

8 T 4/16 North-South ^ Film TBD Transactions R 4/18 Wrapping Things ^ Readings TBD Up T 4/23 Group Presentations on Final Project R 4/25 Group Presentations on Final Project T 4/30 Group Presentations on Final Project F 5/3 ^ Final Project due by 10 pm

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